A Guide to Intermittent Fasting

A Guide to Intermittent Fasting
stedavies.com

Flatly untrue. The article linked to "in proof" is about primate studies that suggest -- perhaps even strongly suggest -- that caloric restriction can slow the process of aging. This does not, however, rise to the level of proof, and certainly does not provide conclusive indication of what caloric restricters can expect more generally. The author is apparently willing to make this grandiose claim to a susceptible audience with nary a word about its limitations, which should set our alarm bells ringing.

If you want to calorically restrict, do it because you've thought long and hard about the consequences of a truly significant choice -- not because it's a tech industry fad.

This is essentially false for anyone reading the article. The studies that showed mice living longer lives from calorie restriction were restricted from birth, and thus their growth was stunted, and smaller creatures live longer (think about dogs; big ones die earlier).

Studies of animals where the calories restriction was started mid-life all show increased mortality. The immune system and wound healing are compromised.

That being said, I've been using a system basically like Leangains since March for the purpose of losing weight. It's just cutting calories and I find that two meals a day plus a big plate of vegetables for dinner allows me to fast from Noon to breakfast the next day with minimal hunger.

But this is a calorie deficit/weight loss strategy because I'm overweight, not a lifestyle thing I'm going to keep up forever. And so far I've lost 29 lbs since March, so that's nice.

There are benefits to fasting occasionally I think, but that's not calorie restriction. It's just giving your body a 24 hr period to engage in autophagy and clear out some of the junk; you make up the calories on the other days.

I do IF, but that's because if I try to eat anything within 3 or 4 hours of waking up I feel nauseous and sleepy. I also find it easier to manage caloric intake by limiting my "feeding window" to 8 or 10 hours. There are also some fringe benefits such as refining my ability to self-deny indulgences and be more thoughtful around food choices. Simply put, if I tell my self "no food after 8pm" I won't binge eat two pints of icecream before bed.

The only diet that matters is that one you can stick to.

> Benefit #2. It helps with calorie restriction

No study cited that proves this. Only cites studies about the benefits of "proof" that caloric restriction helps longevity, but really is just a correlation.

> Benefit #3. It helps you lose weight and body fat

No study cited, follows up with "believe me, it worked on me".

Cites this study: "Alternate day calorie restriction improves clinical findings and reduces markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in overweight adults with moderate asthma."

That's incredibly specific and shouldn't be generalized to the general population.

>Benefit #5. It helps your cells clean and repair themselves

Cites studies made on rats/mice. Although that's a good indicator it might be mirrored in humans, it proves nothing.

> Benefit #7. It regenerates the immune system

Study was made on 3 day fasts, and not intermittent fasting.

It would nice if he pointed out those are potential benefits instead.